13 October 2006

Northern Burbs Still Swinging at the Pinata

Immigration is a hot topic in the northern burbs, where Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones joined the "Citizens for Legal Communities" meeting this week (here's Sheriff Jones receiving an "American Patriot Award" from Bay Buchanan earlier this year).

The group, as far as I can tell, is a misguided attempt to cope with the loss of a loved one. I think Elizabeth Kubler-Ross would agree that the family is shedding more light on the 5 stages of grief than it is on illegal immigration.

There's a lot of hot air about illegal immigration, and it's a shame because it's a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. But it won't be dealt with, at least not sensibly. That's because, to Republicans, an issue has significance only insofar as it gets votes or money. It's not about the safest, most economical solution to immigration. It's about the most political advantageous solution. And the GOP has perfected the art of fomenting bigotry for political advantage. It has worked in the past and there's no reason not to expect them to use the ploy this time.

The GOP is focusing on an important issue but in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. But at this point that's not a surprise to anyone.

Here is a brief report (hot air removed) on the economic effect of illegal immigration at the county level.

1 comment:

Mark said...

One interesting thing about illegal immigration that no one talks about is how much money they pour into social security. By using fake or invalid social security numbers, illegals contribute but can't collect. I've heard it estimated in the billions.